AUTISM & MUSIC THERAPY
Music therapy supports the development of autistic children by using activities kids are already familiar with. Activities like singing, dancing, drumming, and instrument playing give children with autism the opportunity to make progress toward developmental milestones including:
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Social skills
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Communication skills
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Emotional regulation
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Gross & Fine motor skills
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Cognitive skills
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Pre-academic & Academic skills
Each music therapist on our team is trained to assess where each child is at, then design music activities to systematically work toward goals. Children with autism don't need any musical experience to benefit from music therapy. It's a music therapists' job to make music fun and approachable, regardless of skill or talent.
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To learn more about how music affects the brain, making it uniquely beneficial for children with autism, head to the blog. This post provides specific examples of music therapy for children with autism and includes music activities you can use at home.
Studies published over the last seventy years continue to show that music therapy is effective in helping children with autism learn life skills. Recent research shows increases in skills across developmental domains including:
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Communication skills
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Interpersonal skills
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Play skills
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Sensory-motor skills
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Social engagement
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Gross & Fine motor skills
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Joint attention
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Auditory processing
Check out the Autism and Music Therapy Fact Sheet for references to the scientific literature and to learn more.
Music therapy is an evidence-based approach to therapy that uses age-appropriate music activities to work toward individualized goals.
Unlike other therapies, music therapy can accommodate lots of goals within one session. Since the best outcomes occur when each child is using their favorite songs and music activities, it feels like play!
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To learn more about music therapy and what it takes to become a music therapist, head to the blog.